Ludhiana, Aug. 25 -- Government schools across the district are staring at a major crisis as the delay in releasing funds for the mid-day meal scheme has left teachers struggling to feed children. Despite repeated pleas, the concerned department has failed to release the cooking cost, forcing school heads and staff to dig into their own pockets for more than two months now.

Head teachers said the situation has now become unsustainable. "Each primary school student is allotted Rs.6.78 for the mid-day meal. On average, we spend around Rs.80,000 a month, but no funds have been released for more than two months," said Sukhdhir Singh Sekhon, headteacher of Government Primary School, Moti Nagar. "We somehow manage groceries on credit, but vege...